Managing virtual infrastructure today means dealing with dozens—sometimes hundreds—of applications running across multiple VMs. You might know which virtual machines are online, but do you know how they communicate with each other? Which applications depend on specific databases? What breaks when you update a single service?
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator answers these questions. This VMware tool automatically discovers and maps application dependencies across your vSphere environment, giving IT teams the visibility they need to manage complex virtual infrastructures without guesswork.
What is vRealize Infrastructure Navigator?
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator (vRIN) is an application discovery and dependency mapping tool designed for VMware virtualized environments. It works alongside vCenter to identify which applications are running on your virtual machines and how those applications communicate with each other.
The tool operates without agents. You don't need to install software on each VM or modify application code. Once deployed, vRIN connects to your vCenter Server and starts collecting data about network traffic patterns, service communications, and application behaviors across your infrastructure.
Key capabilities include:
- Automatic discovery of applications and services
- Real-time dependency mapping between components
- Visualization of infrastructure relationships
- Integration with vRealize Operations Manager
- Performance monitoring and troubleshooting support
How vRealize Infrastructure Navigator Works
vRIN uses network flow analysis to understand your environment. It monitors traffic between virtual machines to identify which services are communicating, what protocols they use, and how frequently they interact.
The discovery process happens in three stages:
Discovery: The system identifies all running applications and services across your vSphere environment. This includes web servers, databases, middleware, and custom applications.
Mapping: Once applications are discovered, vRIN creates a visual map showing dependencies. You see which frontend services connect to which backend databases, how load balancers distribute traffic, and where potential bottlenecks exist.
Analysis: The tool continuously monitors these relationships. When patterns change—like a sudden increase in database queries or a broken connection—you receive insights that help with troubleshooting and capacity planning.
This approach gives you infrastructure visibility without the overhead of traditional monitoring agents that consume resources on each VM.
Core Features and Benefits
Application Discovery
vRIN automatically identifies applications running across your virtual infrastructure. This matters when you have hundreds of VMs and limited documentation about what's actually deployed. The tool catalogs discovered applications, making it easier to understand your environment's true composition.
Dependency Visualization
The dependency mapping module creates interactive diagrams showing how applications relate to each other. You can trace a user request from the frontend web server through application servers to the database layer. This visualization helps during change management—you know what might break before making updates.
Root Cause Analysis
When application performance degrades, vRIN helps identify the source. Instead of checking every component manually, you see the dependency chain and can quickly isolate whether the problem stems from network congestion, database overload, or a specific service failure.
Integration with VMware Tools
vRIN works alongside other VMware management tools. It integrates with vRealize Operations Manager for deeper performance analysis and connects to vRealize Automation for automated infrastructure provisioning based on discovered dependencies.
Use Cases for IT Operations Management
Troubleshooting Application Issues
When users report slow application performance, IT teams face pressure to resolve issues quickly. vRIN reduces troubleshooting time by showing the entire application stack. You see which components are communicating abnormally and can focus efforts on the actual problem area rather than investigating every possibility.
Planning Infrastructure Changes
Before migrating applications or updating infrastructure, you need to understand dependencies. vRIN reveals which applications will be affected by planned changes. This prevents the scenario where updating one service unexpectedly breaks three others because of undocumented dependencies.
Capacity Planning and Optimization
Understanding application traffic patterns helps with resource allocation. If vRIN shows that certain applications consistently consume high bandwidth between specific VMs, you can optimize placement to reduce network congestion or allocate additional resources where needed.
Security and Compliance
For data centers handling sensitive information under regulations like PCI or HIPAA, knowing application communication patterns matters for security audits. vRIN documents which applications access databases containing protected information, helping demonstrate compliance and identify potential security risks.
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator vs. VMware Aria Operations
VMware has evolved its management tools over time. vRealize Infrastructure Navigator was eventually incorporated into the broader VMware Aria Operations platform (formerly vRealize Operations Manager).
vRIN focuses specifically on:
- Application discovery
- Dependency mapping
- Service relationship visualization
VMware Aria Operations provides:
- Comprehensive infrastructure monitoring
- Predictive analytics
- Capacity optimization across hybrid and multi-cloud environments
- Integration with multiple cloud platforms
Many organizations using modern VMware infrastructure now use Aria Operations, which includes the application discovery functionality originally provided by vRIN. However, older environments may still run vRealize Infrastructure Navigator as a standalone tool integrated with vCenter.
Implementation Considerations
Deployment Requirements
vRIN deploys as a virtual appliance in your vSphere environment. It requires network access to vCenter Server and needs permission to monitor traffic flows between virtual machines. The agentless architecture means minimal impact on existing infrastructure.
Network Configuration
For accurate dependency mapping, vRIN needs visibility into network traffic. This works best when all VMs communicate through virtual switches that vRIN can monitor. In environments using physical network appliances or encrypted VPN tunnels for inter-VM communication, visibility may be limited.
Resource Planning
While agentless, vRIN still consumes resources. The appliance requires CPU, memory, and storage based on the number of VMs being monitored. For large environments with thousands of virtual machines, plan for adequate resources to ensure the tool performs effectively without impacting production workloads.
Enhancing Security with VPN Integration
Organizations often combine infrastructure visibility tools like vRIN with VPN solutions for secure remote access and encrypted communications. When employees access virtual infrastructure remotely, VPNs secure the connection between user devices and data centers.
However, VPNs encrypt traffic, which can limit visibility for monitoring tools. This is where application discovery becomes valuable. vRIN operates within the virtual environment, monitoring traffic between VMs before it exits through VPN connections. This gives IT teams visibility into internal application behavior while maintaining security for external connections.
For managed service providers or enterprises managing multiple client environments, using a branded VPN solution—like those available through PureVPN's White Label Program—combined with infrastructure monitoring creates a comprehensive management offering. You provide both secure access and operational visibility as a unified service.
Alternatives and Migration Paths
VMware Infrastructure Navigator Replacement Options
Organizations looking for alternatives to vRealize Infrastructure Navigator have several options:
VMware Aria Operations: The natural migration path for existing VMware users. It includes enhanced application discovery alongside comprehensive infrastructure monitoring.
Third-party ADDM tools: Application discovery and dependency mapping tools from vendors like ServiceNow, BMC, or Device42 offer similar functionality with different integration capabilities.
Network monitoring platforms: Tools combining network insight with application performance monitoring can provide visibility across both virtual and physical infrastructure.
vRealize Network Insight
Another tool often mentioned alongside vRIN is vRealize Network Insight. While vRIN focuses on application dependencies, Network Insight analyzes network traffic, security policies, and flow patterns across NSX and vSphere environments. Together, these tools provide complementary views of virtual infrastructure.
The vRealize Network Insight deployment guide covers installation across both on-premises and cloud environments, with specific attention to network configuration requirements for accurate flow analysis.
Best Practices for Using Infrastructure Discovery Tools
Start with Documentation
Before deploying application discovery tools, document what you already know about your infrastructure. This baseline helps validate what the tool discovers and identifies gaps in your previous understanding.
Regular Review Cycles
Application dependencies change as development teams update software and infrastructure evolves. Schedule regular reviews of discovered relationships to ensure your understanding remains current.
Combine with Change Management
Integrate dependency information into your change management process. Before approving infrastructure changes, review the dependency map to assess potential impact. This simple step prevents many outages caused by unexpected downstream effects.
Use for Training
New IT staff benefit from visual infrastructure maps. Use vRIN's dependency visualizations during onboarding to help new team members understand your environment's complexity and relationships.
FAQ
What happened to vRealize Infrastructure Navigator?
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator was integrated into VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations Manager). The standalone product is no longer actively developed, but its application discovery and dependency mapping capabilities continue within the broader Aria Operations platform. Organizations using older versions can migrate to Aria Operations for continued support and enhanced features.
How does vRealize Infrastructure Navigator differ from vRealize Network Insight?
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator focuses on application discovery and dependency mapping—understanding which applications communicate and how they depend on each other. vRealize Network Insight analyzes network traffic flows, security policies, and network performance across NSX and vSphere environments. Both tools provide visibility, but Network Insight emphasizes network-level analysis while vRIN emphasizes application-level relationships.
Can vRealize Infrastructure Navigator work with hybrid cloud environments?
vRIN was designed primarily for on-premises vSphere environments. For hybrid and multi-cloud visibility, VMware Aria Operations provides better support, monitoring applications across private cloud infrastructure, public cloud services, and on-premises data centers. It integrates with various cloud platforms beyond VMware's virtualization stack.
Does vRealize Infrastructure Navigator require agents on virtual machines?
No, vRIN operates agentlessly. It connects to vCenter Server and monitors network flow data to discover applications and map dependencies without installing software on individual VMs. This reduces overhead and simplifies deployment across large environments with numerous virtual machines.
How does application dependency mapping improve security?
Understanding application dependencies helps identify security risks. You can see which applications access sensitive databases, detect unusual communication patterns that might indicate compromise, and ensure security policies align with actual application behavior. For compliance requirements like PCI or HIPAA, dependency maps document how protected data flows through your infrastructure, supporting audit requirements and security assessments.
Conclusion
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator addressed a critical gap in virtual infrastructure management: understanding what applications are actually doing inside your environment. While the standalone product has evolved into VMware Aria Operations, the core principle remains essential—you can't effectively manage, secure, or optimize what you can't see.
For organizations running VMware infrastructure, application discovery and dependency mapping provide the visibility needed for confident change management, faster troubleshooting, and better capacity planning. Whether using the original vRIN, modern Aria Operations, or alternative ADDM solutions, investing in infrastructure visibility pays dividends through reduced downtime, improved security posture, and more efficient IT operations.
If you're managing complex virtual environments, evaluate your current visibility into application dependencies. The insights gained from proper discovery and mapping tools often reveal optimization opportunities and hidden risks that justify the investment many times over.